


A design for life

by purple_cube



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Friendship, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-20
Updated: 2013-08-20
Packaged: 2017-12-24 03:44:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 625
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/934914
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/purple_cube/pseuds/purple_cube
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bruce finds that he and Natasha have something in common. Written for the song prompt “A design for life by Manic Street Preachers” at the Dreamwidth comm fic_promptly.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A design for life

 

They go their separate ways after New York, but it doesn’t take long for at least some of them to reunite.

 

Bruce takes up Tony’s offer of visiting Stark Tower midway through the renovations. A day-trip turns into a few weeks’ stay when Pepper takes one look at him in the R&D section and sets up a suite for him. And a few weeks turn into three months when he glances across at his hosts over breakfast one morning and realizes that he quite enjoys their company.

 

Natasha shows up not long after Steve, citing a Director Fury-enforced vacation as her excuse. He joins in with Tony’s teasing regarding her choice of destination, and she takes it all with a roll of the eyes and the slightest pursing of lips.

 

~

 

It takes a week before he summons up the courage to say it.

 

“I’m sorry about what happened.”

 

She’s sitting on the couch, attention focused on her laptop. Slowly, she raises her eyes to meet his. “Doctor?”

 

“Bruce.”

 

She nods briefly. “Bruce.”

 

He looks down at the surface of the table that he is standing behind. His notes are scattered haphazardly across its surface, and if he is honest, he has struggled to pay attention to them since the moment she walked out the Tower’s elevator. “I’m sorry about what happened on the Helicarrier…with the Other Guy attacking you.”

 

“You already apologized. Besides, it’s not your fault,” she says simply.

 

“Yes, yes it is.” He sighs as confusion clouds her face. She waits patiently as he tries to untangle his thoughts and verbalize them in a way she will understand.

 

“The Other Guy, I can’t control him, can’t control his actions, but he knows my thoughts and my feelings. He thinks and feels what I think and feel. So when we were in the lab, arguing, he felt my anger at Fury and SHIELD. He felt my anger at _you_ for toeing the company line, for finding me in Kolkata. For taking me away from it.”

 

Natasha nods again, this time in understanding. “It’s still not your fault.”

 

He smiles, and then laughs at her insistence. “Stubborn, aren’t you?”

 

“I’m not prepared to accept an apology that isn’t required nor invited.”

 

“I just…I still have to get used it. The idea that my thoughts aren’t only my own anymore, that they can have far-reaching consequences which I may not be able to manage or limit. I need to get used to a new way of living, and sharing my life.”

 

“It takes time to change your thinking patterns,” she acknowledges. “One minute, you’re so familiar with the world and where you fit into it, and suddenly it’s turned upside down and you’re spinning out of orbit, not even able to grab onto something to anchor you. You’re trying so hard not to drift away into oblivion; you can’t even think about trying to find your feet again.” Her gaze drifts to the reams of paper on the table between them. “The blueprint that you were working from – it doesn’t make sense anymore.”

 

“So what do you do?”

 

“You draw up a new blueprint. A design for life.”

 

One corner of his mouth rises in a wistful smile. “You make it sound so easy.”

 

“It’s never easy,” she admits. “But I managed it. I know how it feels.”

 

And then he remembers. A single, simple line from her file that seems completely at odds with the woman sitting before him, the woman who fought by his – _their_ – side. _Trained as a child assassin to serve her country._

 

“Yeah,” he nods. “I guess you do.”

 

Somewhere deep inside him, the Other Guy raises his head in acknowledgement, before receding into the shadow once more.


End file.
